City suffering consequences of inaction on youth gun violence, activist says

As the age of people involved in shootings in Toronto continues to trend younger, one prominent community activist says combatting youth gun violence has not been enough of a priority for multiple levels of government, and now the city is suffering the consequences.

"Now we're ending up chasing bullets. Now we end up being shocked and acting surprised when this was predictable because it's been trending this way for years," said Louis March, the founder of the Scarborough-based Zero Gun Violence Movement, which connects community organizations and programs in Toronto in an effort to address gun violence.

March spoke on CBC Radio's Metro Morning Wednesday, after Scarborough was stunned by the shooting death of 18-year-old Jahiem Robinson at David and Mary Thomson Collegiate school earlier this week.

A 14-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder and attempted murder after allegedly running up behind Robinson and shooting him at point blank range, before chasing down another 18-year-old.

The boy, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, then assaulted the second teen and pointed the gun at him, police say, but the gun didn't fire.

The area around the school is a "vibrant neighbourhood," March said, but it has challenges in terms of programs, support and outlets for young people.

Listen | Louis March discusses Toronto's gun violence problem:

Those problems were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, as community centres and schools shut down, leaving kids more isolated and separated.

"As a result, we didn't know where they were hanging out anymore — hallways, in apartment buildings, underground parkways, street corners, we just didn't have our eyes on the youth anymore," March said.

"The community was not functioning the way it usually does."

This also isn't a problem confined to any one community.

At a news conference Tuesday, Deputy Chief of Police Myron Demkiw said young people being involved in gun violence in Toronto has become "all too familiar," with one third of homicides in 2022 so far involving victims or accused people who are under the age of 20. Two shootings have even involved accused people under the age of 15.

The average age of those linked to gun violence in Toronto between 2015 and 2020 was 25 years of age, Demkiw said. But in 2021, that average dropped to 20 years of age.

"This fact is disturbing and demands that something must change," he said. "There is no rational explanation for why a 13, 14 or 15-year-old child should have access to illegal firearms, let alone feel compelled to use them."